There is a beautiful sense of intimacy, of what is important and what matters to Tara and Joel at this intimate Fort Denison wedding, They intentionally chose to keep their guest list small so they could do everything they waited to do – from a waterside ceremony to a beautiful lunch time reception in the middle of the harbour. The couple chose Rose Photos to capture their day.

Tara tells their story. “We met through mutual friends almost 8 years ago. Joel doesn’t remember the first time. However, the second time we met we were both at the races with friends and we just hit it off.”

Tara chose a Maggie Sottero lace gown as her wedding dress, remarking “I adore my wedding dress. I wanted something elegant, mature, stylish and individual to my personality. I wanted something more fitted with a train and was looking for something that would cover some tattoos I have on my lower back and shoulder. When I saw my dress for the first time it was in a colour called ‘café’ so I wasn’t entirely convinced. However, when I put it on, I knew it was it, and the fact I could order it in ivory was a dream come true. It truly was stunning, and I am told that as I descended down the aisle it shimmered.”

The couple chose Bradley Head Amphitheatre for their ceremony, telling “We wanted it to be very intimate, elegant and romantic. We chose Bradley Head Amphitheatre for not only the location and views but because it symbolised our relationship – we have had many overseas adventures together so the amphitheatre represented our past travels. Honestly, we couldn’t have had better weather or views for our ceremony. We had 17 guests present so we just put cushions on the bottom step of the amphitheatre for them to sit down.”

Tara walked down the aisle to “Running” by James Bay. “This song still brings tears to my eyes. I chose it because of the words, the music style and because it was relatively unheard of, so there were no pre-existing memories or emotions attached to this song by our guests.”

Of their ceremony, officiated by Janet Lomax Weddings I Do , the bride tells “Our ceremony was very intimate, however it still had a lot of humour and really described to our guests the relationship Joel and I have, and the love we share for each other. Because our back story and proposal story was quite in-depth, we chose not to have any readings. And we also wanted our guests to sit back and enjoy themselves. Joel and I wrote our own vows separately and surprised each other on the day with what we had each written. There was not a dry eye in the house.”

Guests celebrated with champagne before a boat whisked them to the reception.

The newlyweds dined with their guests at Fort Denison, remembering “We chose Fort Denison for our lunch venue because it was unique, historical, had spectacular views and the food is delicious. Even though we were booked there for a group lunch, they really made us feel special. We were able to personalise our table with printed menus, place settings and candles, which the staff at Fort Denison set up for us before we arrived. We were allowed to bring our own floral arrangement also. They also gave us access to parts of the island normally “off bounds” to capture some great photos.”

The bride was surprised by one very special guest at the wedding, recalling “My brother and his wife were unable to make our wedding; their first born came a few weeks early on 15th April and she was still in hospital undergoing tests to determine if she could go home yet, due to being quite jaundiced. So the day started with a bit of dark cloud hanging over my head that my only brother was not going to be present on my wedding day. However, he surprised me at Fort Denison during lunch by sitting down next me. It was such a beautiful moment and I cried many happy tears, it completed the day for me that he was there and saw me in person in my dress and was able to be part of the family photos.”

Of their photographer, Tara notes “James from Rose Photos was outstanding. We couldn’t fault him even if we tried. He was so open to all our suggestions and really captured the day in stunning, natural photos. He was also calming, as most brides would agree the time getting ready flew by and I was starting to feel a little anxious about being late to the ceremony, but he just told us to relax and reminded me that I was the bride and they will all wait, so we let’s still get the photos we want. When he sent us our sneak peak the very next morning we were blown away, and they brought back all those beautiful emotions we felt on the day.”

A big thank you to Tara and Joel for sharing their stories with us! Thank you also to Rose Photos for sharing today’s wedding.

Dotties I am starting to feel a little festive this week – there is so much excitement heading our way and I am so much looking forward to Summer nights on the deck and toasting with the patterned people. I have hinted at changes and surprises for so long and some of them are coming together to be revealed soon – our new year? It’s going to sparkle!

Let’s round up all the glorious wedding inspiration of the week that was!

Our film of the week comes from the the crew at Tin Drum. The seaside celebration of Alice and Paul’s wedding. The day is so laid back and fun with a huge sense that there is something so very joyous to celebrate. Every bit of this day makes me smile.

There is nothing like receiving a gift just for you, and some of my very favourite things to give are personal pieces that are truly customised to the receiver. What better way to spoil your favourite people than with monogrammed bridesmaid gifts? From leather clutches to stationery, here’s my pick of monogrammed bridesmaid gifts!

Everyone needs to keep organised and the brand new monogramming service from Kikki K adds a little something special to their leather range. You can choose everything from keyrings to planners to monogram in metallic silver or gold.

Hand written letters are one of my favourite things and I have a thing for this custom stationery from French Navy which is customisable complete to the icon (sausage dog for your dog loving friend perhaps?)

I have loved this brand from the very beginning and this Monogrammed pouch from The Daily Edited is pretty much assured to go with everything. One of our recent Polka Dot Brides even chose these in delicious sorbet colours for her bridesmaids.

Delicate and beautifully craft, this Engravable gold disc bracelet from Recreational Studio, is a modern take on the classic jewellery gift. Each disc can be engraved with your own custom monogram making it a gorgeous custom gift idea for your friends.

I have my eyes on one of these Monogram classic leather totes from Cuyana (which are also available with zips, handy if you’re clumsy like me). A stunning classic tote like this is almost a must have for carting around all those electronics and books every day and this is sure to be a piece to last a lifetime.

I do love these letter necklaces from Sarah & Sebastian. They’re simple, but personal and make a beautiful bridesmaid gift for your leading ladies.

Something small but special with this keyring from Neuve Blvd. The tassel and metal detail combine beautifully and the little disc, monogrammble of course makes for that fun personal touch.

Pyjamas are always a good gift – something luxe that you wouldn’t normally spend dollars on yourself and this monogrammed boyfriend shirt from Jasmine & Will is a fine idea. Oversize and large, it’s fresh take on a nightshirt in white cotton. Contrasting piping complements the monogram.

I love a vintage glam celebration and the black tie Mural Hall wedding of Jasmine and David is pure magic. From the bride’s stunning ball gown that is utterly perfect for twirling, the so very chic dress code and even the gold glittering cake made this stunning celebration, captured by Chen Sands Photography a sight to behold.

Let’s set the scene with Jasmine’s tale of how she and David came to be. “We met when David crashed my 16th birthday party, he gave me a bottle of coke as a gift. A few years later we re-met at an 18th birthday party where I invited myself along to his school formal. We had no idea this would be the start of the rest of our lives!”

Catherine R Couture created Jasmine’s gown, the bride remembering “I never wanted to take it off! It was designed with Catherine Couture and the experience was absolutely gorgeous. The process went for a very relaxed year and I looked forward to every appointment as it was a chance to catch up with mum and my sisters who would come along, Catherine felt like a close friend by the end of it. It didn’t take me long to realise that I was after a full traditional bridal dress to take my husband’s breath away – I saw it as the most amazing dress I’d ever wear in my life so I was completely comfortable with it really making a statement. I had an idea of what I wanted, to begin with, and we refined that idea along the way.

My inspiration was the Dior ’New Look’ and I knew that I wanted that 40’s tailored style with all the drama being in the shape, not embellishments. Catherine advised me that designing a wedding dress was like growing a beautiful tree you don’t know exactly where the branches and leaves will end up – such great advice.”

“We weren’t sure what to choose as the processional and were listening to all types of songs, then started listening to very traditional ones. When we played Canon in D I burst into tears so we knew it was the one! Then for the exit song, we opted for a fun song close to our hearts, ‘A whole new world’ from the Disney movie Aladdin.”

Jasmine and David held their ceremony at Xavier College Chapel , Jasmine remarking “David went to school there along with his brothers and my brother also went there, so it was lovely to be able to have the ceremony somewhere that had so much significance for our families. It also helps that it’s a stunning chapel and location.”

“Although it was a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony we still wanted to be us during it. We weren’t shy about waving and smiling at people while we were up at the alter. I made sure to walk slowly down the aisle and try to take it all in and see all the people who were there for us on that special day, before catching sight of the groom and shifting all my focus to him!”

Of their photographer, the bride notes “It was very special to have Chen there on the day as a good friend from Singapore, to capture our special day. It was amazing and so relaxing having someone who knew us and our family. Her photography is so beautiful especially the black and white shots she took of me spinning around in my dress- amazing!”

The Mural Hall set the scene for the glam reception, Jasmine remembering “Myer Mural Hall was incredible – the history of the venue that has been the stage for beautiful balls and events across the ages, made the whole space so exciting and special. We loved going to The Big Group head office and having the tasting – it was amazing and such a fun and special day for us to just be together in a beautiful setting eating very generous servings of delicious test food and drinking plenty of wine which they generously let us take home afterwards! We didn’t expect them to be so lovely and down to earth, but they really made us feel special and it was a highlight of the lead up.”

A decadent cake with gold leaf was created by Jasmine’s sister and brother.

Continuing the family elements of the day, David’s niece kicked off the old school vibe with a performance, the bride remembering “David’s 15-year-old niece is a beautiful dancer and performed a 20’s inspired dance to Chicago ‘All that Jazz’ – to set the tone of the night. This was a big surprise for everyone and she had been working on it for weeks.”

Wedding planners will&jac ensuring everything ran smoothly. “Our wedding planners Will&Jac were amazing, we never thought we’d have a wedding planner as it seemed way too extravagant but they were so affordable and indispensable in the lead-up and on the day. We had a lot of fun planning with them as Clare & Catherine are just gorgeous people.”

Of the first dance, Jasmine remembers “Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” is a favourite of ours. For the last 10 years, Dave has always twirled me around the dance floor whenever it comes on, loving to showcase a bit of flair, so there was no question that would be our first dance. We made a show of it by starting the dance on the staircase, moving through the room and ending on the dance floor where our bridal party rushed in to dance around us on the prompt ‘he knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring’ – it was a lot of fun.”

Jasmine and David chose Nathan Kaso Weddings to capture a film of their wedding day. Nathan capturing beautiful the vintage romance and magic of the day with such beauty.